Help, God omnipotent! Hearing this maketh me all aghast. We must drive this fiend from you at the last, If God’s kingdom ye would come to. MOONEN Ay, shave-crown, that may ye not do; Ye may not me from her divide. If it pleased me I would carry her hair and hide Where is sulphur and pitch a plenty at the least. THE UNCLE Would ye, foul fiend? MOONEN Yea, that I would, horson priest. She is mine, she hath yielded herself all wholly, And renounced the Most High, and held with me, Wherefore in the furnace of hell she must burn. And, horson, would ye her from me turn? I will strike you down all plat. THE UNCLE Foul fiend, I will let you of that. Here in my breviary there stand Eight or ten lines writ in a fair nand Which will make you grin all otherwise. MOONEN Ah! ah! my fell of bristles doth rise At the words he readeth; I know nor what to do nor how. By Modicack, if she should scape me now I shall be whipped with burning lash! Yea, in rage my teeth I gnash, And blow sparks from mouth and ears. Now in me full plain appears That if the Lord’s wrath we arouse in aught, All we spirits may do is less than nought. I fear me with this soul I need no longer tarry. THE UNCLE Go we, niece Mary, and I will you carry To the deacon’s and there make up a fire. Methinks your limbs be broke, for higher He flew with you than one can think and then let fall, Ye must be sore hurt. EMMA I count it nought at all This pain, mine eme; though remedy be none. More by ten thousand times I would not shun Than all that pens could write for anything, If only to me God’s mercy would cling. I care not what befalls if but one day Comfort and mercy may be mine. THE UNCLE Keep you in that way, I promise you God’s kingdom to your cure. We read alday in the blessed Scripture That him who on God’s mercy would him cast Nought so avails as repentance at the last. After this Sir Gysbrecht is gone with his niece to all the most learned priests in the town of Nimmegen, but none of them, howsoever learned or expert or holy or devout, when they heard her story, durst undertake to absolve her or to prescribe to her penance for her sins, the which were fearful and against kind, whereat both they were sore downcast. ¶ How Sir Gysbrecht journeyed to Cologne with his niece.